luckystars wrote:Can't you just increase the system fonts from the control panel

I can, but that's only gonna help for Windows. The problems with internet browsing would remain: either too small text, or browser upscale with results in blurryness... The latter is a strange thing. I'm using firefox and I've set the scaling to (about:config --> layout.css.devPixelsPerPx) 1.3 (130%) and on bullets forum most parts are sharp but some are hazy (e.g. new topic, post reply, edit, quote buttons)

I tried that too, but actually the fonts are now quite ok, I'm having bigger problem with some images when using firefox. Large images are ok, small ones become often fuzzy.

Below is a comparison:

Chrome

Firefox

Of course I could switch to Chrome, but it features a different set of problems...

edit: the images I posted look bigger than they really are. I'm not sure if my browser is doing something and if I see them correctly... In reality the quality is better in both. But in any case, you can at least see the relative difference in sharpness between them

Before you shout at me ( ), it has a 'zoom text only' function on the mac version, so when you zoom...it scales everything beautifully and leaves the pictures normal sized

I tried. Actually it's the "all zoom" that I need... with text only it would mess up web pages when the large font no longer fits where it's supposed to fit. And, I'd also like pictures to be big enough that I can see them... and webpages look good. Obviously a lot of sites have not been intended for 1920 as it tends to leave the sides completely empty with all the information in the middle 30%...

Safari's zoom is better than the others actually, but seems you cannot save the zoom level. Furthermore, seems that Safari is no longer being updated for Windows, so...

But thanks for trying to help.

Seriously, I may end up selling this laptop and buying a new one with 1366 resolution instead. I'm gonna miss the screen - no reflection, wonderful viewing angles, and onviously you do get extra sharpness in many places...

I hate that sort of thing too as my eyes aren't great. It's why I like OS X and iOS, 'Retina' displays on all my stuff but a halved resolution with twice the pixel density and most applications support it.

(actually, the resolution is not the only thing I disliked about this laptop... I didn't find the speakers very good, and the mic is so bad I cannot use it for skyping...)

Now the issue is cleaning the laptop of files and stuff. Windows 8 has a "remove everything and reinstall" feature which I already ran, but I'm not confident this will be enough. I'm thinking whether CCleaner's drive wiper with its overwrite free space function will do?

I know there are more powerful tools, but those will delete everything, Windows included. While I might be able to reinstal Windows, I'm afraid I might not be able to recover something essential, e.g. blu-ray player software (ASUS DVD, which is clearly manufactured by Corel/PowerDVD). Being a complete beginner with this stuff, the biggest worry is that I might delete permanently something I didn't realize was essential.

(to those who don't know what I'm talking about: deleting files from computer (and emptying trash bin) does not actually delete them. It just marks them as rewritable. Although they become invisible and you think your hard disc is empty, they actually remain there, and can be restored with specific programs and skills, until they have been overwritten with new data)

The way to do it (in future) would be to boot from the install disk and do a full format as this will zero fill the partition. Or there are a ton of boot disks to do the same or a Linux distro.You just need a single pass of anything, once overwritten data is completely gone.

HOWEVER. IF you have an SSD you need to use the SecureErase ATA command as not all blocks are presented by the drives firmware due to wear levelling and such, but this will clear the drive in moments. Again, Linux distros and the like.